Cycle 2 Week 24 at Home + Learning About the Presidents!
It is Cycle 2 Week 24, and I cannot believe we have reached the final week of our Cycle 2 memory work! This week has been so special for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest highlights has been all the fun we have been having learning about the United States presidents. Between our new presidents placemats at the dinner table and a handful of really fun games, the presidents have become a favorite topic in our house. I also want to share the exciting milestone my girls just reached with their memory work, because I am one proud mama.
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Cycle 2 Week 23 Recap
Last week in Cycle 2 Week 23, we continued along with our weekly rhythm of memory work, math, and language arts. We also shared about the Personalized Student Timeline Cards I have been working on, which make a beautiful end of year gift for your own kids or the children in your tutor class or community. If you missed that post and want to learn more about how to order a custom timeline card for your child, you can read all about it here!
Presidents at the Dinner Table
One of my favorite things about homeschooling is finding ways to weave learning into everyday moments. That is exactly what has happened with our new presidents placemats, and it has been even better than I hoped.
I recently added these placemats to my shop, but before they ever made it there, we were using them at our own kitchen table. And let me tell you, the conversations they have sparked have been wonderful. One placemat features all 47 United States presidents with illustrations, names, presidential numbers, and years served. The other explores iconic American symbols and landmarks like the White House, Air Force One, Mount Rushmore, the Liberty Bell, the Presidential Seal, and the Washington Monument.
I love that these placemats do not require any prep or planning. I just set them out at the table, and the girls naturally start looking at them while they eat. My oldest will point to a president and ask me about him, or she will notice how long one president served compared to another. My younger daughter loves looking at the illustrations and asking about the landmarks. It has turned our mealtimes into these sweet little history conversations that happen so naturally.
What I love most is that no one feels like they are doing school. It is just part of our day. We are eating dinner and talking about presidents. We are having breakfast and noticing things about the White House or Mount Rushmore. That kind of learning is so powerful because it sticks. When kids are curious and engaged on their own terms, they remember what they learn.
If you are looking for a simple, beautiful, no prep way to bring American history into your home, I really do think these placemats are one of the best tools out there. They are perfect for homeschool mornings, everyday family mealtimes, Presidents Day, election season, or anytime you want to spark a meaningful conversation about our nation’s history. You can grab them in my shop here!
Presidents Games We Have Been Loving
On top of the placemats, we have been having a blast playing some of the presidents games I created. These have been such a fun way to learn about the presidents as a family, and my girls ask to play them all the time. I want to tell you about each one because they are all a little different and each one brings something special to the table.
Presidents Showdown
This one has quickly become a family favorite. Presidents Showdown is a fast paced card game inspired by War. Each president card is packed with key facts like years in office, age at inauguration, executive orders, and vetoes. Players roll a category die to see which stat will be compared, and the highest number wins the round. You collect all the cards to win.
My oldest absolutely loves this game. She gets so excited when she rolls the die and finds out which category we are comparing. And without even realizing it, she is absorbing all of these facts about the presidents. She now knows things about different presidents that I did not even know! It has been such a fun way to learn together, and the competitive element keeps everyone engaged.
Presidents BINGO
Presidents BINGO has been another big hit, especially because it works so well with a group. Each space on the bingo card features a different U.S. president. You call out facts or names, and players cover the correct square. First to get a row wins!
This game is so versatile. We have played it at home as a family, and I can also see it being perfect for community review days, birthday parties, or any gathering where you want to sneak in some learning with the fun. It comes with 20 different unique bingo cards and 47 caller cards covering every president from George Washington to Donald Trump, so you can play with a big group and everyone has a different card.
Presidents Memory
Presidents Memory is a classic memory matching game, and it has been wonderful for helping my girls remember each president’s face and name. You spread the cards face down and take turns flipping two at a time to find matching pairs. It is perfect for visual learning and strengthening recall.
Even my four year old can play this one, which I love. She may not know all the presidents yet, but she is getting familiar with the faces and names just by playing. And my oldest is getting faster and faster at finding the matches, which tells me the information is really sinking in.
Why I Love These Games
What I love about all of these games is that they make learning feel like play. My girls do not see them as schoolwork. They see them as fun family games they want to pull out again and again. And every single time we play, they are learning more about the presidents, reinforcing what they already know, and building confidence in their knowledge of American history.
If you are looking for a fun way to teach your kids about the presidents, whether as part of your regular homeschool routine or just as something fun to do together, I would love for you to check these out in my shop. You can grab them individually or bundle them together!
Completing Our Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Book!
I have to share this because it was such a big moment for us this week. My girls completed the last week of memory work in their Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Book! They worked through the entire book from start to finish, and you could just see the pride on their faces when they turned that last page. They felt so accomplished, and honestly, so did I.
It is one of those moments where you step back and realize just how much your children have learned over the course of the year. Week by week, page by page, they have been coloring, tracing, writing, and working through every subject. And now they have a completed book that represents an entire year of faithful, steady learning. What a beautiful thing.
We used our Cycle 2 Memory Work Activity Books all year long as the backbone of our daily subject focus, and they truly made memory work feel manageable and fun. If you are looking for a simple, hands on way to practice the weekly memory work with your kids, these books are one of my very favorite resources. We also loved using our Cycle 2 Geography Passport each week and it’s really helped my oldest prep for geography subject master.
United States Activity Book, Patterns, and Cycle 3 Geography Passport
If you’re starting to think about planning for Cycle 3 next year, my United States Activity Book, United States and Great Lake Patterns and Cycle 3 Geography Passport are wonderful options! You can start using them with your kids this summer!
More Cycle 3 resources, including the Cycle 3 Memory Work Activity Book, are coming soon so stay tuned!
What Is Next: Cycle 2 Weeks 13-24 Review Activity Book
Now that we have finished our weekly memory work, we are not stopping! We are switching over to the Cycle 2 Weeks 13-24 Review Activity Book, and we will continue working through it into the summer to help the girls review everything they have learned in the second half of the year.
I love having a resource like this that keeps the learning going without starting something brand new. The review activities are engaging and fun, and they help kids make connections, dig deeper, and reinforce all that memory work they have been building throughout the year. It is an easy, low prep way to keep things fresh over the summer months.
I also have a Cycle 2 Weeks 1-12 Review Activity Book for reviewing the first half of the year. You can find both in my shop!
Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling
If you are part of a Classical homeschooling community, are you tutoring? If you are, be sure to check out my posts with tutor ideas for each week here.
Also, I have a YouTube channel where I make videos with tutor and memory work ideas each week. Below is my tutor video for Cycle 2 Week 24. Visit my channel for tutor ideas for many other weeks. I also have lots of other videos with homeschooling tips and encouragement.
Cycle 2 Week 24 Memory Work Games
Here are some fun games you can play with your kids this week to practice the memory work. You can sign up below to receive these FREE games!
I hope you are having a wonderful end to your school year! If you have been looking for fun ways to learn about the presidents with your kids, I hope this post gave you some ideas. If your kids just finished their memory work activity books too, give them a big hug and celebrate that accomplishment! It is no small thing. Please comment below with any questions or share what has been working well for your family!
